In U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,502, there is illustrated and described a double ended cutting insert having an insert body with an upper central clamping surface and a lower clamping surface through which passes an axis of symmetry about which the cutting insert is indexable. A pair of opposite cutting end portions laterally disposed with respect to the upper central clamping surface are each provided with a front cutting edge adapted to cut a chip of the same width as the cutting edge.
In an end view of the cutting insert, planes passing through the midpoints of the front cutting edges and being normal thereto are inclined in opposite senses with respect to its axis of symmetry whereby the projection of one front cutting edge is less than the width of the other front cutting edge when the latter is disposed horizontally so as to maximize its width in a top view of the cutting insert.
By virtue of this construction, together with suitably tapering side surfaces, the cutting insert is particularly adapted for deep face grooving operations, namely, at depths of cut greater than its length. However, up to the present time, such operations are performed at a relatively slow stock removal rate.